Engineered plastic solutions

Tag Archives: SP-22

It seems like nearly everyday we hear about a new breakthrough advancement in plastics materials. From biodegradable to new engineering plastics and more. Why I just recently posted one on our Facebook about a new invention that is being called OLED (https://www.facebook.com/AINPlastics). These new products and materials have features we couldn’t even imagine 10 years ago. So how do you know when you need to use certain products and when could you maybe use something a little less costly?

In this blog post, I wanted to take a look at one product in particular that we’ve talked about before; DuPont™ Vespel®. There has been a lot written and said about DuPont™ Vespel® and it’s with good reason. It’s been around for a long time (Since the early 1960’s) and the DuPont™ Vespel® product line offers some pretty unique features. But it’s also not the most inexpensive to purchase so we’ve created an easy top 10 list of things to consider when making product selection and considering whether or not Vespel® is right for your application…

The Top 10 Things to Consider when Thinking About Whether or not DuPont™ Vespel® Is the Right Material for Your Application:

1. When you have a critical application such as aerospace or military where DuPont™ Vespel® may be the ASTM specified product. (See our post “When Saving a Little can Cost you a Lot”). If it is specified you can stop reading here. You’ll want to be sure you follow the standard.

2. When you want a plastic material that will hold up in a high temperature environment and not lose it’s properties. DuPont™ Vespel® SP-1 and SCP-5000 can operate in temperatures up to 550° F with excursions up to 900° F! In fact, SP-1doesn’t even have a melting point. Gheesh, I’m melting in our Michigan weather this summer, but as hot as it is here, we aren’t even close to those temps!

3. When you have a high load application such as a bearing.

4. When you are looking for weight savings DuPont™ Vespel® can be an excellent alternative to metals such as aluminum or metallic alloys, or ceramics. It’s properties may even exceed that of metal and ceramic.

5. When you are working in a critical testing environment and need a low outgassing product.

6. When you need a long-lasting material. Low friction and high stability along with heat and wear resistance mean your parts last longer and require less maintenance.

7. Variety. In the “S” product line alone DuPont™ has over 10 products to choose from. This can help to save money as you don’t always have to get all the bells and whistles, but instead get a product that fits your specific application needs.

8. An easy to machine alternative to ceramic. VDuPont™ Vespel® has electrical insulative properties like ceramic, but the ease of machining using standard machining techniques means it can cost less to fabricate Vespel than it does ceramic. This is especially true for design that include details like under cuts, holes, or threads. Vespel is also tougher than ceramic and it can take high impact.

9. When lubrication may not be viable or when you need a low wearing material that can withstand poor tolerances or when you need low friction to improve efficiency. DuPont™ Vespel® Bearing Grade SC and SCP possess some of the highest unlubricated pressure-velocity limits among engineering plastics.

10. When you need a plastic with high chemical resistance, or that will work well under hard vacuum, radiation, oxygen compatibility, cryogenic conditions, and exposure to flame.

Common Uses for DuPont™ Vespel®
Now that we have 10 considerations did you want to know what DuPont™ Vespel® is being used in? OK, we pretty much mentioned aerospace and military. But beyond that you can find Vespel in snowmobiles, ATV’s, farm equipment, and semiconductors. Since 1964 Vespel has been used in transmissions, small motors, brake pad assemblies, seal rings, valve seats, bushings, washers, thrust plugs, anti-lock break systems, fuel systems, turbo chargers, vacuum pumps, door hinge bushings, belt tensioners, gear stick rollers, rubbing blocks,wheel disc nuts, steering and air conditioning systems, suspension systems, intake and exhaust systems, piston rings. Handling of hot glass in manufacturing of bottles and hot runner systems in plastic packaging manufacturing are two more! In other words it’s pretty tried and true in a lot of applications. It may not be right for yours, but to find out see how many of your needs are in the top 10. After that if you need more detail on specific DuPont™ Vespel® products, take a look at the following links. They will take you to product technical data for each DuPont™ Vespel® material. If you don’t have the time to do all that comparing, give us a call and ask one of our people. We can help you determine if Vespel is right for you, and if so, which one fits your application best.

New Video Coming Soon!
Just a heads up…we’ve got a new video coming soon. Above we mentioned Vespel machines easily and in our video we will show just how easily DuPont™ Vespel® machines and we will offer some tips and tricks we’ve learned over the years that can help you get the best out of these materials.

…aka why it’s Important to Choose Authentic DuPont™ Vespel®

In business we are always looking for ways to save money and ways we can take that savings and turn it into making more money and better profits. While there are a lot of good ways to do this, like shopping online and comparing prices to get the best deal, when you add up all the costs, sometimes those dollars aren’t worth the savings.

In fact, at times there can be serious consequences. This is actually from a blog post we initially published some time ago. But it’s so important that we like to be sure the information stays out there.

Authentic DuPont™ Vespel®

Machine Shops Beware!
Over the years there have been reported instances of DuPont™ Vespel® shapes being machined into smaller diameter counterfeit rod from larger diameter rod by unauthorized resellers. In these instances, the unauthorized resellers attempt to sell the product as Authentic DuPont™ Vespel® shapes to unsuspecting machine shops. Instances of altering the original Certificate of Conformance (CoC) to reference the smaller diameter have been discovered as well. These altered CoCs do not contain the correct lot number information intended to match product size and composition for traceability purposes.

Why Is This Important?

Unlike Authentic DuPont™ Vespel®, these counterfeit altered rods do not meet ASTM D 6456-99, MIL-R-46198 and OEM Specifications. In fact, the characteristics of these counterfeit rods differ from rod made to the original size in the proprietary DuPont™ isostatic molding process.

It is important to note that when your customer qualifies a material they are not only specifying the grade of resin. They are also qualifying the process in which the material is formed. When it comes to DuPont™ Vespel® testing has shown that smaller diameter rods ground down out of a larger rod are not the same. SP-1 data indicates that smaller diameter ISO rods have a statistically higher tensile strength and elongation than larger diameter rods. Similarly, testing on rods ground out of DuPont™ Vespel® Plaque show differences from ISO rods.
So, in the long run, shopping around and finding that great deal on something that says it’s DuPont™ Vespel® could cost you far more than the dollars you saved by going with something that appears to be close enough to do the job.

But if it’s Made from DuPont® Vespel® Material What’s the Problem?To answer that, let’s take a look at ASTM Standards and the organization that creates the standards – The International ASTM organization was founded in 1898 and with more than 30,000 members it is one of the largest voluntary standards developing organizations in the world. They strive to maintain a no border policy meaning the organization is made up from people all over the world (over 100 countries) and all walks of life from industry, to government, to just regular people in the private sector.

What Exactly Is an ASTM Standard?
According to the ASTM website: “As used in ASTM, a standard is a document that has been developed and established within the consensus principles of the organization and which meets the requirements of ASTM procedures and regulations. Full consensus standards are developed with the participation of all parties who have a stake in the standards’ development and/or use.”

Voluntary Organization? If it’s Voluntary What’s the big Deal?
Although the standards are voluntary many governments, including the U.S. cite ASTM standards in laws giving them much greater power. In 1995 the U.S. passed the National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act (Public Law 104-113). This law requires government agencies to use privately developed standards instead of investing taxpayer dollars to create their own. The law saves tax payers a huge amount of money and it also means more ASTM standards have become part of U.S. laws. To read the Law in it’s entirety click on this link: Public Law 104-113 pdf

What Does This Mean for Machine Shops and DuPont™ Vespel®?
ASTM Standards are used in numerous industries including aerospace, automotive, petroleum, even sports and recreational equipment. Large manufacturers use ASTM standards to guarantee product quality. ASTM standards hit us in our daily lives too. Sports organizations are making certain participants in their events use protective gear that meets an ASTM standard. In the aerospace industry the ASTM Standard states that only DuPont™ Vespel® may be used. So, any altered product such as ground rods, or any similar product does not meet their standard and therefore using it in what you do for an aerospace company means you are going against the rules they have set in place to ensure the highest quality products are used when building aircraft. Supplying them with a product that is anything less than their standard sets you up for being liable should anything happen. We all know what that means – potential law suits and possibly even worse.

Still Worth the Money Saved to get a product that almost meets the standard?If not, how do you know you’ve got the real deal? Contact AIN Plastics, Division of ThyssenKrupp Materials NA. As the authorized distributor, AIN Plastics will provide you with the lowest possible price for authentic Dupont™ Vespel® shapes such as rods and plaques. In addition to being the most cost effective source AIN Plastics is the most reliable because they are required by DuPont to maintain a robust inventory of all grades and sizes of Authentic DuPont™ Vespel®.

Learn More About Authentic DuPont™ Vespel® and thyssenkrupp Engineered PlasticsFor technical assistance on working with Vespel® or about purchasing Authentic Vespel visit the AIN Plastics website: Authentic DuPont™ Vespel®.

We hope you find this information helpful. If you have any questions about DuPont™ Vespel® feel free to call thyssenkrupp Engineered Plastics as well. They have a toll free number that will put you in contact with the location nearest you. 1.877.246.7700.